Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guangzhou (Canton) and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Guangzhou (Canton): $903 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$903

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guangzhou (Canton) and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Guangzhou (Canton) and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $903 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Guangzhou (Canton) $903
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,434 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,434
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,965 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Guangzhou (Canton) $1,965
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Guangzhou (Canton) costs roughly 63% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Guangzhou (Canton) is 33% below, Barcelona is 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.99 ¥19.89

$17.66 €15.72

-83.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.32 ¥202

$67.5 €60.1

-55.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 ¥35.21

$13.61 €12.12

-61.13%

Cappuccino

$3.08 ¥20.48

$3.10 €2.76

-0.65%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ¥3.55

$3.00 €2.67

-82.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ¥2.22

$1.93 €1.72

-82.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 ¥9.13

$3.84 €3.42

-64.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ¥17.81

$4.36 €3.88

-38.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.45

$1.25 €1.11

49.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 ¥12.72

$2.12 €1.89

-9.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.10

$1.97 €1.76

-45.69%

Eggs

$1.48 ¥9.88

$4.76 €4.24

-68.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.68 ¥111

$17.07 €15.20

-2.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.14 ¥34.19

$8.96 €7.97

-42.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.15 ¥80.9

$20.65 €18.39

-41.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 ¥15.16

$3.16 €2.81

-27.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 ¥8.60

$1.97 €1.75

-34.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.66

$2.65 €2.36

-45.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 ¥11.40

$2.88 €2.57

-40.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.38

$2.06 €1.83

-53.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$2.18 €1.94

-45.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$1.53 €1.37

-45.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.38

$0.97 €0.86

-31.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.19

$6.97 €6.20

-45.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.65 ¥70.9

$7.89 €7.02

34.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 ¥7.20

$1.42 €1.26

-23.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ¥13.29

$2.69 €2.39

-25.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ¥3.14

$3.31 €2.95

-85.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.78 ¥118

$25.61 €22.80

-30.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ¥12.34

$3.08 €2.75

-39.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.71

$1.48 €1.32

-72.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.65 ¥44.27

$32.87 €29.27

-79.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ¥9.23

$1.87 €1.66

-25.67%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$19.8K ¥131.9K

$33.0K €29.4K

-39.92%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$17.7K ¥117.6K

$31.9K €28.4K

-44.70%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$61.6 ¥410

$183 €163

-66.34%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.56 ¥117

$14.24 €12.68

23.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.20 ¥101

$34.56 €30.78

-56.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.5 ¥416

$51.4 €45.79

21.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.19 ¥81.2

$16.38 €14.59

-25.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 ¥43.86

$11.06 €9.85

-40.42%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,612 ¥10.7K

$944 €840

70.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.9K ¥285.7K

$22.3K €19.8K

92.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.81 ¥312

$87.7 €78.1

-46.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.50 ¥256

$38.77 €34.52

-0.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 ¥560

$105 €93.1

-19.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ¥478

$118 €105

-38.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 ¥3,486

$1,697 €1,511

-69.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 ¥1,780

$1,337 €1,190

-80.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 ¥8,184

$2,692 €2,397

-54.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$512 ¥3,406

$2,077 €1,849

-75.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,514 ¥56.7K

$7,155 €6,371

19.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,695 ¥24.6K

$5,079 €4,522

-27.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,386 ¥9,227

$2,241 €1,996

-38.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

3.19

5.96%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 31, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Guangzhou (Canton)

$267 29.6%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 400% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Guangzhou (Canton)

$241 26.7%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 36.1% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Guangzhou (Canton)

$109 12%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 44.5% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guangzhou (Canton)

$94 10.5%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 146% $137

Eating Out

Guangzhou (Canton)

$92 10.2%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 189% $175

Sport & Entertainment

Guangzhou (Canton)

$76 8.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 2.8% $2.1

Getting Around

Guangzhou (Canton)

$24 2.6%

Barcelona

$49 2% 109% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $524 in Guangzhou (Canton) and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 62% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30 in Guangzhou (Canton) vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $328 per month, with Guangzhou (Canton) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

08:50 8:50 AM

01:50 1:50 AM

7 h behind Guangzhou (Canton)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,043,500

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Guangzhou (Canton) Barcelona 9,930 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Guangzhou (Canton)
Barcelona

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Guangzhou (Canton) vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $903 in Guangzhou (Canton) and $2,443 in Barcelona, so Guangzhou (Canton) is about 63% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Guangzhou (Canton). That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $524 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,612 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $903 in Guangzhou (Canton) versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Guangzhou (Canton) but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Guangzhou (Canton) the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Guangzhou (Canton) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.